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The industry leader in emerging technology researchMon, 19 Mar 2018 22:01:45 +0000en-UShourly1Can New Mobile Service Providers Save Us From Complexity? Tello Goes For Ithttp://gigaom.com/2016/05/05/can-new-mobile-service-providers-save-us-from-complexity-tello-goes-for-it/
Thu, 05 May 2016 13:00:57 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=950046The battle for our mobile attention has put convenience and user experience on a pedestal and, as a result, a ton friction has been removed from our day-to-day activities: shopping, ordering food, banking, traveling… But it often seems that, to gain access to these conveniences, we have no choice but to wade through complex waters, aka mobile service providers. With two-year commitments, opaque plans and fee-tangled bills, many of the carriers that enable today’s celebrated mobile innovations are not, themselves, widely celebrated.

This is why consumers might want to pay closer attention to MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators). MVNOs give you access to the major US mobile carrier networks (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.), but with their own pricing and packaging. For customers, that can translate to lower rates, more flexible contracts and better customer service. Representing a smaller segment of mobile subscribers (just one in ten US subscribers a few years back) and competing against powerhouse brands, MVNOs are the underdog in the mobile service space. This is why when a new provider enters the fray they need to work hard to stand out.

This is the challenge for the newly announced Tello. Tello runs on Sprint’s network in the US, but has been operating out of the UK for two years already. (The parent company, KeepCalling, has been around since 2002.) At the core of Tello’s US offering is a pledge for “No Fees, Whatsoever,” as in no activation fee, no overage fee, no processing fee or early termination. Tello plans can be fully customized, so you’re not paying for something you don’t use (fitting for those who don’t use their phones to, you know, make calls), and can be upgraded or downgraded easily if you find, for example, you’re hitting your data limit. Technically data is unlimited as speed is throttled down to 64kbps once you hit your limit.

Things that are also good to know, if you’re thinking about switching providers, is that you can choose to buy a phone from Tello, but there’s also the option to bring your own. As mentioned before, Tello is a contract-free service, but for those who prefer to avoid plans altogether, Tello has a Pay As You Go option that gives you the chance to buy let’s say $5 and use it for national and international calls or texts.

Of course, Tello isn’t the first provider to tackle the pain points of mobile service. Ting, for example, offers a plan that allows you to pay based on usage and carriers like T-Mobile often cover the cost of termination to facilitate switching. But scratching out every fee and keeping costs low—Tello has a customizable plan that starts at $5 monthly, or (if you want data) $9/mo for 100 minutes of talk, 200 texts and 200 MB 4G LTE—gives the company a fair chance to stand out.

Still, one of the bigger questions that comes to mind is, if MVNOs are presenting such competitive offerings, why aren’t a larger share of mobile providers using them? Is it a testimony to long term brand effects of TV advertising? Are consumers still tethered to brick and mortar, taking comfort in having a place to go if something goes awry? (Tello, for example, is exclusively online.) While these factors may have a big impact today, they may lose their foothold as new generation of cell phone users and cord cutters come to market. Tello may be ahead of it’s time—though given early adopters always seem to be ready for the next opportunity to assert their early adopter-ness, that may be an advantage unto itself.

]]>Straight Talk offers $7 nano SIMs for iPhone 5s, 5c and Moto Xhttp://gigaom.com/2014/03/13/straight-talk-nano-sim-for-iphone-5s-5c-and-moto-x/
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/13/straight-talk-nano-sim-for-iphone-5s-5c-and-moto-x/#commentsThu, 13 Mar 2014 20:42:50 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=824813Mobile virtual network operator Straight Talk started offering nano SIM cards for service in Apple’s(s aapl) iPhone 5s or 5c and Motorola’s(s goog) Moto X handsets on Thursday. The cards can be ordered directly online from Straight Talk or at WalMart(s wmrt) retail stores. With the right SIM card for your AT&T(s t) or T-Mobile(s tmus) handset, you can get service from Straight Talk for $45 a month.

Aside from that, there’s little downside provided you can follow the easy instructions to configure your phone. Straight Talk uses the same networks as the major carriers so you’re getting the same service as if you were with T-Mobile or AT&T, for example; It simply offers the plans as a bring-your-own-phone approach.The company has even added support for 4G LTE data if your phone supports it; something it didn’t offer when I reviewed the service nearly two years ago.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2014/03/13/straight-talk-nano-sim-for-iphone-5s-5c-and-moto-x/feed/7Testing Sprint’s new Spark network in NYChttp://gigaom.com/2013/11/19/testing-sprints-new-spark-network-in-nyc/
http://gigaom.com/2013/11/19/testing-sprints-new-spark-network-in-nyc/#commentsTue, 19 Nov 2013 12:59:29 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=717032Where can you find Spark? Among lots of other sparkly, rare objects – in Manhattan’s diamond district. That’s where Sprint(s s) told me I could go to test out its newest 4G LTE network.

So I trekked uptown to 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. Right now the network is officially available in just five markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Tampa and New York. According to Sprint each of these markets has been launched at a 25 percent threshold, but New York is closer to 35 percent. That means I probably could’ve found Spark outside of the diamond district, but it was close enough.

Once you can find Spark, you need a way to tap into it, and right now there aren’t many. Currently the only tri-band phones that bring Spark to life are the HTC One Max, LG G2, Samsung Galaxy Mega and Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini. Luckily, I’ve had an HTC One Max review unit on my hands over the last few days, so I was able to put Sprint’s network to the test.

I also brought along a Nokia Lumia 1520(s nok) on AT&T(s t) and an Apple iPhone 5s(s aapl) on Verizon(s vz) to compare performance on each of the networks. So how did Spark fare?

Keeping in mind I performed my tests in an area recommended to me by a spokeswoman from Sprint (and therefore pretty much guaranteed to perform quite well), I still have to admit the results were impressive. Using the Ookla Speedtest.net app on all three devices, Sprint’s Spark network turned in the fastest results by far. Here are the averages:

Sprint: 43Mbps down / 17Mbps up

Verizon: 16Mbps down / 18Mbps up

AT&T: 4.5Mbps down / 7Mbps up

Sprint’s results were the fastest of the three networks I tested.

For a close look at how Spark works, you can read this piece by my colleague Kevin Fitchard. But basically Spark taps into Sprint’s new souped-up 4G network in the 2.5 GHz band, which is much faster than the LTE systems its rolled out in most of the U.S. According to Sprint, Spark supports peak speeds of 50Mbps to 60Mbps down. On top of that, Sprint claims that by aggregating available spectrum and using LTE-Advanced techniques like multiple pairs of antennas, it could theoretically boost speeds up to an astounding 2Gbps in the future.

Take that with a grain of salt though, as I didn’t even reach the advertised 50-60Mbps peak speeds, although I came close. Considering that there are very few devices available that connect to Spark, I assume there was very little traffic on the network when I was connected. As more Sprint users buy Spark-compatible devices and traffic increases, I’d expect to see the speeds I saw today go down considerably, which is something I’ve seen happen on every LTE network so far. Sprint is acknowledging as much, saying average speeds will be in the 5 to 12 Mbps range, which is right on par with the other carriers’ LTE marketing claims.

Verizon also had a surprisingly strong showing, which could be due to the new 4G LTE network it is expected to unveil.

I was surprised by Verizon’s results, which were quite strong. Considering the carrier’s current issues with LTE traffic in big cities, I expected to see results much lower. It’s possible that my iPhone 5s was catching wind of Verizon’s monster new LTE network, which the carrier is expected to launch quite soon.

AT&T, on the other hand, turned in results that were slower than what I expected to see, but still not bad for congested midtown Manhattan. Anecdotally, I usually see the speeds that AT&T and Verizon achieved today flip-flopped. PCMag has found the same – it reported average download speeds of 13.69Mbps in New York on AT&T in its yearly speed tests.

AT&T’s 4G LTE network didn’t have a great day, though I usually see it perform much faster.

Any way you look at it, this is a good showing for Sprint, and good news for Sprint users purchasing a Spark-compatible device. It might take a while for Spark to reach you, though, as the carrier is only expecting to cover 100 million Americans by the end of 2014. If you aren’t covered by Spark, you’ll fall back on Sprint’s regular LTE network if it’s available in your area.

It’ll be interesting to see how Spark fares as more compatible devices become available and more users get on the network. I’m also curious to see how it’ll stack up to Verizon’s new LTE network when it arrives.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2013/11/19/testing-sprints-new-spark-network-in-nyc/feed/13Some Verizon users might be dropped down to 3G as carrier struggles with 4G LTE traffic in major citieshttp://gigaom.com/2013/11/13/some-verizon-users-might-be-dropped-down-to-3g-as-carrier-struggles-with-4g-lte-traffic-in-major-cities/
http://gigaom.com/2013/11/13/some-verizon-users-might-be-dropped-down-to-3g-as-carrier-struggles-with-4g-lte-traffic-in-major-cities/#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 13:58:47 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=715418Do you remember Verizon’s(s vz) 4G LTE network being a lot better a year or two ago? I do. And it turns out a lot of other people might be experiencing slower-than-expected service recently as well. At an investor conference on Tuesday, Verizon’s chief financial officer Fran Shammo said that rapid traffic growth has affected Verizon’s service in some areas, particularly major cities, CNet reports.

Worse still is that some 4G LTE customers might actually see their 4G LTE service downgraded to 3G as Verizon struggles to keep up. And the speed drop from LTE to 3G is a dramatic one.

“There are certain pockets where we’re absolutely going to experience that down tick from the LTE network down to 3G because of capacity constraints,” Shammo said. Those “pockets” are likely to be major cities, where there is a higher concentration of 4G LTE users and network traffic.

While my phone is usually able to maintain a pretty consistent LTE signal in New York City, I have noticed there appears to be a much higher degree of latency recently, and downloads aren’t nearly as fast as they once were. Of course, this is partially due to the fact that Verizon has the nation’s longest running LTE network — it launched in December, 2010 — which means that it also has the most users on LTE.

According to Verizon, 4G LTE users account for 64 percent of the carrier’s traffic, even though they make up just a third of its customer base. And in many major cities, the traffic consumed by LTE devices is even higher.

Luckily, Verizon has a plan. Shammo claims the company has invested over $500 million into its network this year and is turning on more spectrum to bulk up network capacity. It’s also worth nothing that Verizon is doubling up on frequencies in many areas, which can make its LTE network more than twice as powerful.

“By the end of this year you are going to see all those issues dissipate,” he said. That isn’t too far, so hopefully this will happen before too many LTE users get a chance to see that 3G icon rear its ugly head.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2013/11/13/some-verizon-users-might-be-dropped-down-to-3g-as-carrier-struggles-with-4g-lte-traffic-in-major-cities/feed/17You can’t get 4G in your living room, but now Mt. Fuji has service at the peakhttp://gigaom.com/2013/07/11/you-cant-get-4g-in-your-living-room-but-now-mt-fuji-has-service-at-the-peak/
http://gigaom.com/2013/07/11/you-cant-get-4g-in-your-living-room-but-now-mt-fuji-has-service-at-the-peak/#commentsThu, 11 Jul 2013 23:14:42 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=666554Mt. Fuji has “inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries,” according to the U.N., which made it a World Heritage Site this year.

But now Japan’s famous snow-capped peak has another bragging right: It’s got 4G coverage on the peak.

Japanese telecom company NTT DoCoMo(s dcm) has outfitted the summit with super-fast LTE connectivity from now until the end of August — peak tourist time for the mountain. It has had cell coverage since 1999, and DoCoMo added 3G coverage in 2005.

Alpine Ascents is a Seattle-based climbing tour company that leads trips to some of the most intimidating peaks in the world. The company’s program director, 22-year mountaineering veteran Gordon Janow, says that while some mountains are starting to get cellular coverage, it’s still not prevalent and certainly not a reliable communication device for mountaineering guides.

“If you’re in a sleeping bag at night and you want to post a picture, you probably can,” Janow explains. “But we can’t use it as a primary source of contact.”

Many mountaineering guides carry around satellite phones, which have greater and more consistent coverage in remote areas, to communicate with base camp in case of emergencies. Even older communications systems like radios are more prevalent than using a cell phone for contacting. “I couldn’t feel good knowing that all I have is a cell phone,” Janow says. “I even have a radio that can attach to a repeater that makes a phone call — it’s not always a satellite phone, but I always have something else.”

That said, phones are so prevalent and light, that climbers and guides usually bring them along, he says. Many use them to take pictures, take notes for blog posts, or even get in contact with someone once they’re back at base camp.

Of course, the downside to all of this connectedness and convenience, Janow says, is the inability to disconnect. Mountaineering has traditionally been a solitary or small group experience, and the accessibility of cell phones and network coverage opens it up to the greater world. In that way, the trips have changed.

“The length of time between what you and the mountains are doing has gotten a lot shorter,” Janow says. “What was once three days without any contact has turned into 12 hours.”

]]>http://gigaom.com/2013/07/11/you-cant-get-4g-in-your-living-room-but-now-mt-fuji-has-service-at-the-peak/feed/1Verizon’s LTE juggernaut expands to 75% of populationhttp://gigaom.com/2012/08/15/verizons-lte-juggernaut-expands-to-75-of-population/
http://gigaom.com/2012/08/15/verizons-lte-juggernaut-expands-to-75-of-population/#commentsWed, 15 Aug 2012 17:48:19 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=553271On Thursday, Verizon Wireless(s vz)(s vod) will light up 34 more small cities and towns with LTE, bringing its 4G coverage to three-quarters of the U.S. population. The network will then be live in 371 markets, just 29 communities shy of its 2012 400-market goal.

Verizon also said it would expand its existing coverage on Thursday in 38 other market, and though it didn’t reveal an exact number of POPs covered, the U.S. Census pegs the current population at 314 million, meaning Verizon has placed at least 235 million people under its 4G umbrella. The carrier’s year-end target is 260 million POPs covered.

]]>http://gigaom.com/2012/08/15/verizons-lte-juggernaut-expands-to-75-of-population/feed/4AT&T launches LTE service in San Francisco and New York Cityhttp://gigaom.com/2012/01/05/att-continues-lte-expansion-in-bits-and-pieces/
http://gigaom.com/2012/01/05/att-continues-lte-expansion-in-bits-and-pieces/#commentsThu, 05 Jan 2012 19:20:33 +0000http://gigaom.com/?p=465715AT&T (s T) has turned on its 4G LTE service in 11 new markets, including New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, but that expansion may not be quite as large as it appears. The new commercial launches bring AT&T’s LTE coverage to 74 million people, just 4 million more than its end-of-2011 goal of 70 million. That means AT&T either is under-building its network in these new cities or it missed its 2011 target by a ways.

In New York, AT&T revealed LTE doesn’t cover all of Manhattan, which contains the densest concentration of wireless customers in the country, and is available in only parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. In San Francisco, AT&T said the network is limited to major traffic corridors and the downtown areas of the major Bay area downtowns. AT&T said the expansion in the Bay Area and New York are ongoing, but a quick look at AT&T’s LTE coverage map shows those two metro areas aren’t the only ones to get the partial-footprint treatment. For instance, in Chicago, AT&T has built LTE extensively throughout the northern half of city, downtown and the northern and western suburbs, but left a huge swath of the city’s south side and southern suburbs untouched.

In November, AT&T met its 2011 target of 15 markets, but when it announced plans to begin its rollout in New York, it revealed it was still short of its coverage goal of 70 million. AT&T now appears to have been way off. The LTE service went live Thursday in Austin, Texas; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Oakland,Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; Raleigh, N.C.; San Diego, and San Jose, Calif., as well as NYC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Unless the coverage in those cities adds up to only 4 million pops, then AT&T is just completing its 2011 rollout five days into 2012.

AT&T's LTE footprint in Chicago (dark blue)

That’s not bad, considering the late start AT&T got off to. But it doesn’t help AT&T catch up to its archrival Verizon Wireless (s vz)(s vod), which has already extended LTE coverage to more than 200 million pops, and is live in 190 cities and towns, compared to AT&T’s 26. What’s more, if AT&T continues its pattern of covering markets partially with LTE, it could find itself at huge competitive disadvantage in the key battleground cities of the U.S.